Slithering Away
by GrandLordAtos
Summary: No one is born evil. It's all based on how one sees the world. Orochimaru was no exception. This is the story of one of Konoha's most famous Ninja, from early childhood, to his final stand against Jiraya upon his defection from the Village.
1. Chapter 1

**Note from the Author: **_Yet another fic, eh? This fanfiction is part of "Project: Before Akatsuki", and stars that lovable yet oh-so-creepy bastard Orochimaru. After realizing that no one is truly born evil (and reading the manga where Sasuke kills Orochimaru), I decided to give a back story to why Orochimaru sought power so much. It starts from the time Orochimaru was six years old, and ends at his defection from Konohagakure. This fic is my first attempt at angst and drama, and is kind of short per chapter when compared to my other works, so be nice and constructive, okay?  
_

_ On a side note, I didn't give a description of Hebaya, Oro's mom, however I assure you that just as how Orochimaru looked a little different as a kid, Hebaya holds a different appearance than Orochimaru._

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Orochimaru, or any characters in this fan fiction besides Hebaya, and since she's kinda dead, I'd rather not own a corpse. ...crap, I just killed the mood, didn't I? No laughy! NO LAUGHY!!!  
_

* * *

Hebaya closed the curtains to her home hastily, not even letting the slightest shred of daylight, even the little that broke through the storm-clouds, into her small house. After the last curtain was shut, she heard fighting outside, only a short distance from the house, and began to fret.

"Orochimaru. Dearest, where are you?!" she called, rushing through the hall, trying to search for her only son. From the end of the hall, she heard a tiny, fear-struck voice call out to her.

"Mommy, I'm right here! In the bedroom!" said the tiny voice of six year old Orochimaru. His mother rushed in the bedroom to find him in his bed, hiding under the covers, trembling. She knelt down next to him and unveiled the covers, grasping on to him and holding him tightly against her breast.

"Orochimaru, sweetheart, please, don't fret. I promise, they won't bring harm to you." As she said this, she stroked her sons' long black hair, trying to calm him down. "Please, do not cry or worry. I will be here for you."

"No mommy! They're going to kill us! They'll kill us just like dad! Mommy, I don't want to die!" He began to sob harder.

Before Hebaya could console her son, she heard the front door being smashed open, and held her son even tighter than before. "Orochimaru, please, be brave. And remember that I will always love you--"

Orochimaru looked up at his mothers' face when he felt something warm running across his face. Horrified by his mothers' now mutilated face that possessed a sword through it, he staggered back in terror as the Iwagakure nin that had murdered his mother retrieved his weapon.

"Well what do we have here? Another member of this weak little clan, huh?" said the assassin menacingly. He began to walk with purposely clumsy footsteps toward the pale boy, scaring him further toward the wall. The boy was paralyzed by emotion. Losing his mother before his eyes, soaked in her blood, and the murderer setting his sights on him had rendered him no more fit to move than a statue.

The look of terror in his eyes, the open maw that overcame his face, the sweating that caused the blood upon his forehead to run further down to his cheek, all painted the picture of doom for the young Orochimaru. He closed his eyes hastily, grinding his teeth together, half awaiting the chill of death to run down his spine, the other half praying to all the gods and spirits in existence that this was only a horrible dream that he'd soon wake up from.

The Iwagakure nin readied his sword, causing a brief clanking noise, and raising it for a swift and final slice. "See you in hell, kid! Haaaaa--Urg--" The sound of piercing flesh hit Orochimarus' ears, and he heard the Iwa nin fall to the ground. Opening his eyes cautiously, and slowly, he saw the dead body of his mothers' assassin at his feet, with wide eyes of the dead written across his gaze.

Looking beyond the corpse, he saw the feet of someone, and instinctively looked up. A man with brown spiky hair and a goatee stood above the murderers' body, pulling an ANBU sword from the corps's back. "Are you alright?" the man asked, reaching his hand out to help the boy up.

Reluctant at first, the boy had to notice the Konoha headband across the mans' forehead to gain enough trust to reach out. As he was hoisted to his feet, he found it difficult to stand, but made an effort to get a better look at the shinobi who had saved him. After a closer examination of his face, he realized that this man was none other than the Second Hokages' understudy.

"Sarutobi-sama" called one of the ANBU who had apparently followed the man into the house. "We have a casualty here."

Orochimarus' eyes' widened, and he darted from the corner of the room to his mothers' mutilated body. It took him a moment to truly know she was dead, not being able to accept anything that had happened today. But upon noting her gaping head wound, and listless eyes, he could not deny it despite his desire to, and fell to his knees, coughing harshly as he began to wail. "MOMMY! NO!!!"

Sarutobi approached the crying child, and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Orochimaru, was it? ...your mother...She was very noble to have sacrificed herself for you. I know these words don't mean much in the face of the situation, but...You should be proud, knowing that she was your mother." He stood up and directed his attention at the ANBU in the room. "You there. I have new orders for you."

"Yes, Sarutobi-sama. What is it?" replied the ANBU.

"This child, Orochimaru. I want you to go explain his situation to Nidaime-Hokage-sama."

"But sir, Hokage-sama is currently on the front-line, fighting. Can this not be done at a later time?"

Sarutobi glanced at the sobbing child again, then returned attention to the ANBU, nodding. "I suppose it will have to. But I am going to escort the kid to a safe house in the meantime. Make sure to inform Hokage-sama of my whereabouts."

The ANBU nodded, and without another word, dashed off, leaving a lined blur behind. Sarutobi knelt down next to Orochimaru. "Orochimaru. We will have to get you to a safe house. Its' far too dangerous to stay here now."

Orochimaru flailed his head back and forth. "No! I'm not leaving mommy behind!"

Most people would have told the young boy to forget about it. Others would have pried him from his home like a stubborn animal. But Sarutobi just smiled, and reached under the womans' body, and lifted it up in his arms. "We'll take your mother with us then, and give her a heroes burial when this ordeal has ended. Is this okay?"

Orochimaru did not nod or give him the okay, but his sudden easement of tears told Sarutobi the answer he needed to hear. The two then made their way out of the house, the child not even realizing this was the last time he would see it. Thus begins the defection of one of histories' most famous shinobi.

**_END CHAPTER_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Note from the Author: **_Hm...I may as well update for the reviewers I DID have. It's a bit of a shame not too many are interested in Oro's past. Anyway, in this chapter, I gave Sarutobi a sister through mentioning. Considering Sarutobi's past will no longer be explored in the series, it seems it does no harm in doing so. This entire scene was a recollection of chapter...340 something of the manga. I can't remember the exact number off the back of my head. Anyway, I won't update too soon after this considering I didn't have a pre-written third chapter. I will, however, make one on the spot if I get a few reviews._

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own anything is this fic. Happy?!? _

* * *

Even now, with his mothers' passing having been two days in the past, it still did not seem real. The soil covering her lifeless body wasn't there. The tombstone in front of him did not have the name Hebaya imbedded in its' face. And the grave next to it couldn't have belonged to his father either. This war wasn't real. It was all just a nightmare to Orochimaru.

A familiar hand rested upon Orochimarus' shoulder, and the young Sarutobi stood with the child he had rescued, honoring the grave of Orochimarus' mother. "Orochimaru. You have already suffered two great losses from this war. I understand how you feel right now."

The boy looked up at Sarutobi in slight wonder. "You do?" he asked, voice still shaking from his depressed state.

Sarutobi nodded, and turned his attention to the cloudy sky. "This war cost me my sister. She was killed defending me. When I was younger, about your age even, and Konoha was still only a twig sprouting out of the earth, the war first began.

My sister, Sasami, and I were without parents, them having died from illness when we were both little. Sasami had long since taken the liberty of watching over me, and raising me in this newly founded village. But one night, an attack from an envious village happened, and the entire village was under siege. My sister endangered herself to hide me that night, and then diverted the enemy ninja from entering our home. She was found dead that next morning."

Sarutobi faced Orochimaru and smiled warmly. "Her death was tragic, but I lived on to defend the future of our village, so that her death would not be in vain, and so that I could one day preform the same act of sacrifice and dedication if it was ever needed in this war. I live now to defend our great village, and those who live their lives within it."

Orochimaru turned to his mothers' tombstone, glancing over at his fathers' as well. His father, who died fighting in the war. His mother, who sacrificed herself to save his life. Were they really doing all that of their own accord? Or was it this war, stirring their emotions into making rational decisions. Maybe if he had been stronger, his parents would still be here with him.

Suddenly, all he could think about was his parents, and nothing else could run through his head. He wasn't able to save either of them, the most precious things in the world to him. Power enough to stop a war, thats' what he needed before. But it was too late now.

Sarutobi noticed the sudden spike in depression Orochimaru now suffered, and he tried to think of something more to say. His glance suddenly caught sight of a white snake-skin spread between Orochimarus' parents graves, and he smiled. "Orochimaru, look." He reached down and picked up the skin, showing it to the boy. "Do you know what this is?"

"A...snake skin, right?" Orochimaru said, not feeling the least bit better by Sarutobis' latest realization.

"Yes, but theres' more to it than that. White snake-skins upon graves symbolize rebirth. This means your parents will probably one day return to this world, probably as different people. But never the less, they will likely be destined to reunite with you."

Orochimaru slowly took the skin from Sarutobis' hand and gazed at it for what seemed like hours. Rebirth, new life...all these concepts seemed new to the boy. Was this truth, or fiction? If they were reborn, would they really be reunited with him, and even then, how would he know it was them? These questions flooded the pale boys' head, and he found it difficult to accept all of this. Perhaps in time he would learn how.

Orochimaru had begun to feel better, and wiped the last of his tears from his eyes. As he and Sarutobi headed back to meet again with the Hokage, Orochimaru glanced back at his parents' graves one more time. If they really were going to be reborn, he thought, he would have to become stronger. The strongest, even. When they did return to this world, he would use every ounce of power this world had to offer to make sure no one hurt them ever again.

**_END CHAPTER_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Note from the Author: **_Hey folks. Sorry for the late update. I'm trying to get three things done at a time. Anyway, I made this chapter a little longer like requested. Not my longest, but definitely longer. XD_

_Orochimaru meets some new friends. Could this be the start of something great?_

_ BTW, it's no longer odd to me to try and make Oro seem adorable. After all, he was kinda adorable looking as a six year old...I just lost ubber masculinity points, didn't I? Whatever, I've got masculinity to spare._

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Orochimaru, Jiraiya, OR flat chested Tsunade. XP _

* * *

"You want to learn what?!" Sarutobi was so surprised by Orochimaru's sudden request, that he nearly turned over the table he was sitting at.

"I...I want to learn ninjutsu." the six year old replied. "Is...Is this a problem, Sarutobi-sama?"

"No, not at all." The middle aged man sat back down. "Please, have a seat. We'll talk about this some more over breakfast."

Orochimaru knelt at the opposite end of the table and began to start on his breakfast. It had only been a month since his mother's passing, but even now, he felt slightly blessed to have received hospitality from Sarutobi. The man had treated him like a son, something he never expected to receive from anyone again after that fateful day.

"I know you want to learn ninjutsu." began the brown haired man. "But may I ask why? And especially after your recent hardships."

Orochimaru thought about how to say this as he chewed his food. Clearing his mouth, he spoke again in his meek tone. "I want...to protect the village." He said. "If I become a shinobi, then perhaps...Perhaps I will have a chance one day to give someone the same kindness you've shown for me."

Sarutobi cracked a smile, and rubbed his nose in embarrassment. "Kid, are you rubbing off on me or something? Because that is the very thing I wanted you to say. I think you'll make a splendid shinobi once you've been trained up a bit. We'll sign you up for the academy tomorrow and--"

"Um--If it's alright sir, can I register today?"

"Now, now, there's no rush. Still, if you feel that strongly..." Sarutobi stood up and walked over to the door, slipping on his wooden sandals. "What do you say we go right after you're done eating, huh?"

Orochimaru'sface lit up, and he jumped from the table and hugged Sarutobi as tight as his little arms would allow. "Thank you, Sarutobi-sama! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

* * *

After they'd finished their breakfast, Orochimaru and Sarutobi made their way down the streets of Konoha, until they passed a red building with roots growing at the top. Orochimaru stopped for a moment to look at the building in awe.

"The Second Hokage, one of my teachers--" began Sarutobi, who stopped and noticed Orochimaru's fascination with the building. "--resides in that building. Approximately one year ago, his brother and also my teacher, stepped down from the position as the First Hokage to pursue a different path in life. Tell me something, Orochimaru-kun, what do you know about the Hokage?"

Orochimaru turned to Sarutobi and shook his head. "I...I know nothing of the Hokage. My mother and father always tried to keep me from the outside world. They said our clan was weak, and involving ourselves with Shinobi was dangerous."

"Hm. I see. Yes, I have heard a bit about your clan. It's true, your mother's bloodline had a history of ill fated shinobi. However, you can change this if you work hard at it. Then maybe one day, you could even become Hokage, and prove the naysayers wrong. Oops, perhaps I should tell you what a Hokage is before I start telling you this." Sarutobi rubbed his chin a bit in thought. "A Hokage is basically the leader of our village and our shinobi. But deeper yet, a Hokage is the strongest shinobi in both heart and body. They are the protecters of the village, and do so with their very lives."

Orochimaru stared off at the Hokage building again. To become Hokage would mean that one was the strongest. Perhaps Sarutobi was right. And suddenly, a strange thought crossed young Orochimarus' mind. The urge to be the Hokage seemed to choke at him almost. The title of Hokage, the ultimate proof of power.

"Orochimaru? Orochmaru, are you listening?" asked the dazed boy.

The child snapped back to attention. "Um. I'm sorry, Sarutobi-sama. I must...still be a bit tired."

"Well, we're almost there." Sarutobi pointed at a small building next to the Hokage building. "That building right next to this is the academy. Come now."

Orochimaru took one last glance at the Hokage building, and as he walked toward the academy, he secretly promised himself that he would obtain the title of Hokage one day.

* * *

"Ah, Sarutobi-sama!" said one of the teachers merrily as Sarutobi and young Orochimaru walked through the lobby door. "What brings you here today?"

The brown haired man pointed to the boy at his side. "I want to register this young man for the academy."

The teacher eyed Orochimaru for a moment, then guided the two over to a desk at the far end of the lobby, sitting down and pulling out a clipboard. "Alright. I just need you to fill out his info."

Sarutobi nodded, and then turned to Orochimaru. "I will only be a few minutes. Go outside and wait for me to return."

The boy nodded, and exited through the main door into the courtyard. There wasn't much to do as he waited. All they had really was a tree with a new swing attached to it. He decided to sit on the swing as he waited for Sarutobi to finish.

Seconds passed, then minutes. Sarutobi was taking longer than expected by now. Even rocking side to side on the swing, Orochimaru could tell that it had been at least an hour. He sighed when he confirmed his suspicion by looking at the clock hanging above the academy entrance. Just then, he heard a small noise from above him. Looking up, he expected to see a squirrel. Instead, he saw a white haired boy about his age hanging upside down, sleeping it seemed. The moment he noticed it, the boy began to slip and fall out of the tree.

Acting quickly, Orochimaru tried to catch the boy and break his fall. Instead, the boy's falling body flattened the pale child. Stirring awake, the boy gave a giant yawn and then looked around. "Eh? Where am I?"

"On top of my back." Orochimaru stated somewhat bluntly.

"Oh, sorry." The boy hopped off Orochimaru and helped him up. "I guess I fell asleep. Did I fall out of the tree or something?"

Orochimaru nodded. "Yes, you did. What were you doing?"

The white haired boy began to crack his neck a bit, and rubbed his shoulders. "Relaxing, I guess. Still, that would have been a nasty fall for me to take. Luckily a beautiful girl was right there to save me. Thanks, little girl."

For probably the first time in his life, Orochimaru's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "Little GIRL!?" he yelled. "You think I'm a GIRL?!?"

"Er..." The boy blinked. "You're not?"

"NO!"

"Oh." He drew his head inward in shame. "Er. Sorry. My bad. It's just that with your long hair and all, I thought...Whatever, let's start this over." He held out his hand. "Name's Jiraiya. I'm gonna be starting the academy soon."

Orochimaru hesitantly brought his hand up to Jiraiya's and shook it. "I'm Orochimaru. I am also going to be starting the academy soon as well."

"Wait, you are?" Jiraiya suddenly revoked his hand shake. "In that case, you're a rival. I can't be shaking hands with the enemy."

"Oh please, Jiraiya." said the voice of a little girl from the side of them. They both looked to see a blond girl with a ponytail approaching them. She stopped in front of Orochimaru, smiled, and held out her hand. "I'm sorry. Jiraiya's a stupid jerk. I think it's great you're starting in the academy. My name is Tsunade, Orochimaru, and I'm starting soon as well."

Orochimaru shook her hand with a little less hesitation than with Jiraiya. Somehow, he felt he could trust this 'Tsunade' more so than Jiraiya. "Its' nice to meet you as well." he replied politely.

"Oh please." grunted the cross armed Jiraiya. "The pale kids' making friends with flat chested Tsunade."

A vein pulsated in Tsunade's forehead suddenly, and she turned to Jiraiya and launched a full forced punch at his stomach. "MEANIE! I'll make you eat dirt for that!" Her punch landed, and Orochimaru have expected, and hoped, that the punch would make the white haired boy sprawl to the ground in pain. Instead, the punch barely looked like it had any impact to it at all, and a second later, Tsunade retracted her fist and started wimpering in pain, blowing on it. "OUCH! Owie owie owie!"

"Hahaha! Tsunade, you're so weak!" Jiraiya laughed. "You'll never be strong either. You're always gonna be weak little flat chested Tsunade, and pale in comparison to me, Jiraiya the great! Well, I gotta go home." With that, the child began to walk away from the group. "Later losers."

"Oooooh. Don't listen to him, Orochimaru-kun." Tsunade said while holding her fist. "You and I will show him, just wait. Jiraiya is going down soon enough."

Orochimaru didn't reply, but merely nodded in agreement. Today, he had met two very interesting people. It was strange, but something about it made him happy. Knowing people his age was seemingly a joy. And starting soon, he would be training amongst these new people as well, while following the path he now desired. The path of the shinobi.


End file.
